The most basic and widespread of such devices include thick and thin mats used for supporting the bodies of those persons who carry out “floor” exercises. Initially the fact that they were made from traditional materials guaranteed simply a certain degree of mechanical and thermal insulation, avoiding contact between the body and the bare floor. Subsequently, more specific materials were adopted, such as rubbers, sponges, paddings of various types, until the arrival of expanded (foam) plastic materials, such as polyurethane, EVA and others, able to guarantee greater effectiveness and comfort during use.
Recently, in the technical field of the sector, more technologically evolved apparatuses have become widespread, being able to improve and expand the range of performance.
For example, this is the case with mats made of soft plastic material, having through holes which allow the application of accessories and shaped members on them for performing exercises. One such device is described in U.S. patent 2010/0299833, but it shows several significant limitations. The first of them is due to the fact that, at the shaped members applied on the upper face of the mat, rigid fixing plates project on the lower face, which tend to alter the planarity of the mat. Moreover, the fitting and removal of such shaped members are quite laborious, making the device in question not very versatile, particularly if it needs to be used for a wide range of exercises and for various exercise disciplines.
Moreover, since such mats are usually made of flexible material, they cannot support tall accessories, such as vertical handles or rods for gripping or pushing, able to cause bending stresses on the mat which it cannot withstand.
Multi-layer mats are also used for floor exercises, comprising rigid layers able to guarantee a flat shape for the whole assembly, and soft layers, particularly in contact with the body of the person exercising, able to guarantee comfort and safety. However, in that case, as described for example in patent DE10200013, accessories cannot be applied to the mat. That means limitations making such devices incompatible with multi-purpose use, which in contrast is preferably required by operators in the sector.